Transnational Segmentation - the Way Forward - Essay Example

 Transnational Segmentation - the way forward? Introduction For a long time researchers and marketers have been debating over the issue of a uniform marketing strategy that firms should follow in different countries. International marketing widely differs from domestic marketing especially in the internationalization and the globalization of products, businesses and services. Companies debate between a globalised and a localized approach to international marketing and some even try to find an integrated marketing approach. Differences in culture, behavior, the political stability, government regulations, demographics and customer needs across boundaries creates new challenges and provides new opportunities in international marketing. There can be shifts within the industry which alter the marketing strategies. These in turn would alter the segmentation process, the targeting of the market and the product positioning. There are various strategies being used by firms wanting to expand overseas. A global strategy treats the world as a single market whereas localized approach takes into account the local opportunities in forming the strategy. Base on the various literatures available, it would be determined that transnational segmentation is not the way forward for firms wanting to expand overseas. A standardized approach can be adopted but each market segment would need a standardized strategy and to cater to different market segments there can be several global strategies. Besides, the same standardized approach cannot be applicable for all types of goods and in all types of markets. The optimal marketing strategy would be to take into account targeting and positioning across international boundaries. To derive benefits, firms have been showing interest in global marketing which implies an integrated and global marketing approach (Guerini, 2006). To survive in the face of price wars, competition, and high quality product/services, they are looking for something radical that could transform the way business could be done. Marketers have been debating whether to pursue a global versus a localized approach to international marketing. Traditional orientations of marketing are being replaced by transnational market similarities. This paper builds on the view that firms are trying to segment the countries according to similar characteristics but marketers realize that to be successful in international market local adaptation is necessary. Segmentation International marketing strategy refers to the deployment of the marketing mix to create a sustainable advantage in the international marketplace (Wong & Merrilees, 2007). International marketing strategy has the potential to enhance the overall marketing performance. The marketing decision can change the consumer knowledge about the product or the brand. They could even enhance the firm’s reputation and lead to strong brand awareness. Brand loyalty in turn could lead to lower marketing costs and generate a premium. It was realized more than fifty years ago that consumer needs are diversified and to be successful market segmentation is essential. Success in marketing can be achieved by matching the organizational capabilities with the requirements of the marketplace. This matching is based on market segmentation. Market and their segments are clusters of potential customers. Market segmentation is a proactive process which involves the application of analytic techniques Market segmentation has been defined as the process of dividing the total market into a number of smaller, more homogeneous submarkets, termed market segments (Danneels, 1996). A heterogeneous group of customers are grouped into homogeneous groups or segments. Each of these segments requires a different marketing mix to service their needs. Dealing with heterogenous needs of consumers in different countries is the biggest challenge in business and hence the importance to international market segmentation. Market segmentation, according to Souiden (2003) seems to be the most effective, realistic and feasible way that permits the multinationals to apply the hybrid approach. This helps them to standardize their marketing programs to each homogeneous segment of countries or consumers while differentiating the strategies among different segments. The concept of market segmentation itself is based on the assumption that markets are heterogeneous or that consumer characteristics, their needs, wants and preferences differ. The goal of segmentation is not to have just any customer but to select a homogeneous group of customers and focus on servicing their needs. The organization can then decide on the right marketing strategy for the services or product offered. Nevertheless, segmentation on a particular basis has not always been successful. For instance, different attitude leads to different behavior. Knowing the attitudes help advertise in the right market but even if a customer has a brand preference it may not reflect in his behavior contend Bond and Morris (2003). Hence market segmentation is the act of dividing the market into different groups of buyers who may be heterogeneous in their requirements of the products/service and also in the marketing programs directed to them (Bastian, 2006). In this way, international market segmentation is exclusively country-related market segmentation. Once the country characteristics are considered in segmentation, they are then sub-divided into four general groups - socioeconomic, political-legal, natural-technical, and socio-cultural. This forms a country typology and country not consumers are segmented here as per the figure below: Source: Bastian (2006). International market segmentation International market segmentation does not require any strategic coordination between different countries and it lies in dividing the markets and satisfying the needs of the sub-markets on a country-to-country basis (Bastian, 2006). The importance of international market segmentation has decreased due to several reasons – increased international competitors, shorter product life cycles, aggressive prices, political and global economic conditions becoming more suitable to international business, improved communication and transportation and convergence of customer behavior and attitudes of different countries. This led to finding an alternative approach known as transnational segmentation. Transnational segmentation Transnational segmentation is characterized through a set of common features in all its parts in these countries and addressed in a standardized way through one marketing program. According to Bastian (2006) empirical evidence suggests that demand behavior and attitudes of consumers transcend national borders and more similarities in different consumer groups have been found in different countries than between consumers in one and the same country. This points out the shortcomings of international market segmentation where the country-specific heterogeneity of consumers is disregarded. International market segmentation also excludes the possibility of finding transnational segments in countries belonging to different country groups. Hence transnational segmentation is based on the assumption that international differences are being substituted by intra-national differences. In a borderless economy, differences within a country will surpass difference between countries (Guerini, 2006). It would therefore make sense to operate within different target markets within a country but on a global basis. The marketing approach would be on transnational similarities for target markets across national boundaries and less on international differences. This would become necessary in view of the globalization of the markets and the industries in order to derive benefits from the strategy. This would require global segmentation techniques to determine the global segments. The transformation that is expected is demonstrated in the figure below: Source: Guerini (2006). Transnational segmentation is done based on the demographics (age, sex, income level, social class and education level), psychographics (life style – activities, interests and opinions) and behavioral patterns (patterns of consumption, brand loyalty and loyalty to product category). Then segments having common features but belonging to different countries are combined into transnational segments. Various studies have identified transnational segmentation based on different variables. Based on transnational life-style segments there are the “Global Elite” and “Global Teenager” (Hassan & Katsanis, 1991 cited by Bastian) or in the fashion attitude and garment behavior the transnational segments include “Fashion Enthusiastic”, “Fashion Interested”, “Fashion Ignorant”, “Fashion Discerning”, and “Fashion Rejecters.” Transnational segmentation in the case of airline passengers with homogeneous needs include “Demanding”, “Mainstream”, and “Spartans" (Bastian). Consumers within each country would have to be sub-divided into internally homogeneous and externally heterogeneous groups. Segments identified in a particular country are then compared with segments derived from other countries. If similar segments in different countries are identified they are combined into transnational segments. Similarly, when all countries are considered as one market, segmenting consumers result in transnational segmentation. A study was conducted of the body and skin care products under the grand name of NIVEA (Bastian, 2006). Under the umbrella brand NIVEA a number of sub-brands exist and NIVEA continues to dominate the market globally. Its skin and body care product categories include all purpose creams, hand creams, face care, body lotion, lip care, sun protection, baby care, deodorants, soap and bath products. Five different regions of the world were taken for the study which includes Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and South America. Attempts were made to derive transnational segments and it was found that a certain degree of divergence in demographic characteristics, brand assessments, and behavioral characteristics of country-specific segments was unavoidable. While the education levels could be combined the professions differed across countries. This demonstrates the difference in completing a particular degree and occupying a particular position in the profession. There were no variations in the country-specific levels of household income but compared cross-nationally differences were found. Differences were also perceived in brand awareness, advertisement recall and the usage of the product. The choices of location of purchase also differed as the distribution channels used were different. There were also differences in the media type available in different countries. Overall transnational segments would allow a high degree of standardization for the product mix but the other elements of the marketing mix would require differentiation, according to Bastion. To determine the process of segmentation, Souiden (2002) conducted a study in the region of Arab countries where it is believed that regional commonalities would lead to transnational market segmentation that could be handled by a standardized marketing program. Markets that share commonalities and show homogeneity in conditions could provide a basis for standardized strategy. Hence inter-market segments seem to be necessary for the success of standardized marketing activity. Macro segmentation in international marketing has limitations. Country variables are used instead of consumer behavioral patterns, micro segments within each country cannot be identified and it also neglects the existence of cross-national homogeneous segments. To overcome these limitations, it was felt necessary to use variables at micro levels and use relevant variables. As far as the Arab markets are concerned, there are diverse opinions. While some consider it a homogeneous market others find there are variables. Some argue that inspite of having the same cultural heritage, language, and moral and religious standards, they are distinctive and separate markets. Further arguments suggest that the commonalities would allow the marketer to adopt an efficient and appropriate strategy in this regions based on globalization and standardization of marketing procedures. The select countries must fulfill the standardization conditions (socio-cultural, economical and the ecological) and then from this the transnationally homogeneous target groups can be determined. This strategy implies that a marketer should focus on the similarities and ignore the differences. Souiden considered 20 Arab countries for segmentation for the automobile sector and hence only those countries where the GDP was relatively high were considered. The study further focused on countries where the market share for Japanese cars was high. Base on these two conditions and to undertake an in-depth study, the number of Arab countries for study was reduced to four – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and UAE. The study revealed certain commonalities among the Arab countries in response to marketing stimuli. Having commonalities implies that global corporations can cut across geographic distances and economic disparities to identify homogeneous segments. This helps the marketer to decide on a standardized marketing plan to be applied to each segment. It allows the marketer to find the right price, promotion and the media to be used. Firms can thus standardize their marketing plans according to Souiden and also differentiate their strategies between different segments. The companies thus come closer to the consumers and understand their needs better. It thus also reduced the risk of marketing failures. However, the study conducted by Souiden revealed that even in culturally bound countries, like the Arab world, marketing standardization cannot be easily applied. Even though commonalities exist, the marketing strategies have to differ. Souiden is of the firm opinion that a single global strategy cannot be applied even to countries sharing similar characteristics. Consumers’ similarities and differences have to be taken into account. Each market segment has to be targeted by a standardized marketing strategy and hence to cater to different market segments there should be several global strategies. The two studies above derive different results. One study was in the case of consumer products and conducted across five regions while the other was a luxury item –cars and restricted to the Arab world. Pervious studies in 1978 and 1983 had contradicted the opinion of Souiden that Arab markets are not homogeneous and it was suggested that marketing should be country-specific (cited by Souiden). The study by Souiden was conducted in 2002 and the study still reveals that each segment requires a different strategy. Souiden also suggests that cost savings can be achieved if segmentation is done based on the marketing variables. This will enable cost savings while providing customer satisfaction. The study on NIVEA products demonstrates that it is only as far as the product is concerned that transnational segmentation would be worthwhile but differentiation has to be maintained in the overall marketing strategy across boundaries. Marketing plans have to be standardized to each segment but the strategies would have to differ for different segments. Thus in different products in different markets, it is only the product that can be homogenized while the overall marketing plan has to be specific to each segment. This is where the standardization marketing strategy has been considered. Standardization/adaptation Numerous debates have centered on standardization/adaptation in the field or marketing. Standardization of the marketing strategy would mean that the same marketing strategy is applied in all markets without taking into account the local factors (Zou, Andrus, Norvell, 1997). This implies that markets and consumer behavior is homogenous. Hence standardization would mean identical product lines at identical prices through identical distribution systems with identical promotional programmes. This can happen when significant benefits are perceived in standardizing the marketing strategy. The benefits of standardizing the international marketing would include cost savings, improved planning and distribution, and greater control across borders. Advanced technology in information, communication and transportation are supposed to have homogenized the markets and this has led to the production of high quality products at lower costs. Zou et al., further cite Ohmae who contends that the heterogeneous cultures, political systems and economies across borders should not disturb the mindset and the firm should seek to rationalize their worldwide operations. Standardization implies a product orientation and is not customer-centered. A product-centered approach more often than not leads to failure as has been seen in many cases. Focusing on the product can blind a person to customer preferences and needs. Nestle of Switzerland, faced a unique problem and used its brand image to infiltrate into China. They wanted to take benefit of their brand image and expected the same product to succeed in the Chinese market. Nestle was unable to introduce coffee culture in China, so they adopted a diversification strategy (Hara & Nakanishi, 2004). They bought Chinese brands offering products like water, seasonings, and milk. They have not yet succeeded in China but they perceive China as a lucrative market for food business. The Ritz Carlton Hotel in the USA received the Malcolm Baldridge award for quality in 1992 but encountered problems in Hong Kong. Huyton and Ingold (1995) identified culture as the main cause. The ‘best practice’ approach of USA was not feasible in this setting. The Hong King culture did not permit them to work too closely with each or to share information as ‘knowledge is power’ (cited by Hope & Mühlemann). Baum and Nickson (1998) recognize that in the hospitality industry each customer is an individual in her needs and the same customer may have differing demands in different circumstances. Hence standardization ignores customer needs and the concentration is on reducing the product variables. Standardization can also cause local resistance. Government regulations vary across markets and it has not been possible to standardize operations. Cultural differences and competitor strategy are equally important factors in standardizing the international marketing strategy. McDonalds wanted to standardize the items that taste the same whether in Singapore, Spain or South Africa (Vignali, 2001). This could have resulted in substantial cost savings but McDonald’s realized that they have to adapt to local environment. Therefore they adopted the principle of ‘think global, act local’. McDonald’s has had to adopt the local taste, laws and customs. While in Israel Big Macs are served without cheese in several outlets, in India they serve vegetable McNuggets and a mutton-based Maharaja Mac. As Hindus do not eat beef, Muslims do not eat pork and Jains do not eat meat at all, such adaptation becomes necessary. In Malaysia and Singapore they had to undergo rigorous inspection by Muslim clerics to ensure ritual cleanliness. In Germany they sell beer while in Turkey chilled yoghurt drinks are available. They sell Teryaki burgers in Japan and vegetable burgers in the Netherlands. These demonstrate how a company needs to adapt its product offer in international environment. Kellogg’s, the largest ready-to-eat cereal manufacturer in the world also had to alter their marketing mix in order to meet the needs of the international markets (Vignali, 2001a). They faced two critical advantages in meeting the global tastes. Their products are available in several countries and the manufacturing techniques have been standardized giving the product their unique and uniform taste across the globe but the texture and appearance of the product differs cross countries. Due to trade constraints and geographical limitations, the corn that is used in USA and Europe differ. Then, one of their products, Coco Pops are produced using Rice Krispies as the base. This is used uniformly in all the countries but the chocolate coating placed on the product is altered according to the taste of the region. The Spanish prefer a sweeter type of chocolate than the consumers in Greece and the UK. Thus, the company had to adjust to meet the needs of the two contrasting markets. Homogenous world culture does not work when companies have to market their products globally. In India cereals are not traditionally eaten at breakfast and to enter the Indian market, Kellogg had to first change the eating habits. In Brazil, cereals are eaten as a dry snack so the company had to alter their marketing initiatives and promoted cereals as an all-day food and as a health snack alternative. Hence they could not succeed in using the same marketing strategy and had to adopt the local requirements. Even with Europe transnational segmentation is not possible because the tastes differ. International Target markets The above two case studies (Nivea and Arab world) also demonstrate that total standardization is not viable while program standardization can be undertaken by identifying the target market, nature of product and the environment. At this point targeting and target markets needs elaboration. Targeting implies renouncing a great number of potential consumers and it contradicts the tendency to sell as much as possible (Daneels, 1996). Thus it differs from the sales oriented approach and is more customer-focused. After segmentation an action plan has to be developed targeting the areas to be covered, the customers to be reached and the advertising budget to be allocated. This would again depend upon season, location, investment in promotional activities in international sectors. If a company tries to appeal to all the customers, it may end up appealing to none (Daneels). Targeting implies renouncing a great number of potential consumers and it contradicts the tendency to sell as much as possible. In the fashion retail sector, choices are now determined by lifestyles and hence usage situation is necessary to be considered. In diverse market segments, customers reveal their patronage, states Danneels, in which case the small retailers take a passive approach. They rely on word-of-mouth and footfall to generate business. Retailers now recognize the limited value of segmentation on the basis of socio-demographic variables. The fashion industry today is marked by short life-cycles, high volatility, low predictability and high impulse purchasing (Christopher, Lowson & Peck, 2004). This implies according to Zara, the leading Spanish fashion company, that there could be as many as 20 seasons in a year. Under such circumstances, segmentation of the market becomes difficult. International Product Positioning Once the target market has been decided companies have to determine how to position their services against competition. In the case of the airline industry in the services sector, positioning refers to the image and impression about the airline (Moschis, Lee & Mathur, 1997). The airline has to determine how to project itself. Market segmentation provides an understanding of the consumer characteristics which helps to project the right image of the airline. Here the values of the passengers have to be taken into account and the impression that these passengers have of other airlines. Positioning strategies are simpler if the market is homogeneous but today’s market is volatile and sensitive. What appeals to one segment may not appeal to the other. The positioning strategies have also to take into account the reaction from the other segments. For instance, if an airline wants to capture the budget travelers along with the high priced segment, they may lose out on this high priced segment in trying to capture the budget travelers. The high priced segment is a sensitive one and hence positioning or the brand image has to be determined accordingly. It can consider branding low cost airline under a different name so as not to lose out on the higher segment. Positioning strategies should not undermine the image of the airline which would cost it to lose valuable customers. Even if the airline wants to share code with other airlines, it should be done keeping in mind the positioning of that airline on its existing customers. The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel (GWSH) Beijing is a joint venture enterprise between the American ITT Sheraton Corporation and various Chinese business partners, and operated through a management contract under the brand name of ITT Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. ITT Sheraton’s global reputation for service excellence and quality requires the Beijing hotel’s commitment to quality and customer satisfaction (Mwaura, Sutton & Roberts, 1998). The GWSH has its own distinct US-influenced corporate culture. US companies strongly adhere to the US cultural values of social mobility, economic achievement, closeness to the customer and productivity through people but the same variable could not be applied in China successfully. The influence of the Chinese is present in the environment, the language, the folklore and the practices of government, business and interpersonal relations. Thus, US cannot enforce the same marketing strategy in its overseas ventures and local variables have to be taken into account. In the automobile sector it has been further observed that what caters to one market may not be feasible for another even though the automobile industry is the most globalised industry in the world. Both BMW and Mercedes set up plants in USA but they found that it is much more than setting up a plant and taking on staff. they did not achieve the expected sales because they realized that the prestige of German cars comes from the fact they are ‘built in Germany’. The global positioning of the product had to be carefully balanced with the brand image and the brand image can be sustained only when the working conditions are not strictly regulated. Mercedes sent all their workers to Germany for technical training. Sales of Porsche, Volkswagen Audi and Mercedes-Benz have all gone up while GM and Ford, the US manufacturers have experienced shrinking sales (GACC, 2007). The reason attributed to this is that the German cars are fuel efficient and the diesel passenger cars are something of a novelty to the US market. Thus what is important is to give the consumers what they are looking for. Hence, the customer-centered approach is more important than product oriented approach. Levis realized that a mix of two approaches – standardization and adaptation is essential for success in international markets. In the process they were able to find transnational segmentation within regions. They found that Islamic countries do not like women wearing tight-fitting clothes and the entire Far East Asian market demands much shorter inside leg measurements (SD, 2005). The Japanese on the other hand prefer tighter jeans. They found that Europeans are happy with standard white denims but warmer climate require lighter weight material in brighter colours. The commercial that they ran in Europe was censored in South East Asia. Hence they had to develop another promotional strategy in this region. This demonstrates that they could do transnational segmentation but then product positioning had to differ across regions. In the USA and Europe jeans are considered to be casual and rebellious wear while in Russia they are considered to be sophisticated. In Spain, because of the high price, it is a fashion item. Product positioning has to be done keeping in mind the target audience. The high priced segment is a sensitive one and cannot be combined with the low-priced segment. Since nations differ on their perception of jeans, the positioning in each region would have to differ. Levi’s would need to brand their products differently in different regions as keeping the same brand image could affect their customer segment in other regions. Discussion and conclusion Thus a study of various firms and their international marketing strategies reveals that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach that can be universally applied. Even transnational segment cannot be applied at all time or on all products. This paper has reviewed the strategies of different products ranging from food to airlines and the hospitality industry. Perceptions differ based on individual experiences and requirements. Today most leading companies in the world have crossed national borders and most have had to make adaptation according to the local requirements. Transnational segmentation as discussed above means certain countries have a set of common features based on which the marketing process can be standardized. This has been found to be impractical as the situation from country to country differs. We have seen in the case of Nivea that even the product was similar and popular in all the five regions that were studied, advertisement recall, brand awareness, product usage, distribution channels, all differed. In this case transnational segmentation and then standardization would be possible in the case of product mix but for other variables but in the case of other strategies and product positioning, adaptation has to be done as per local requirements. In the case of the automobile industry in the Arab world also despite similar characteristics, a single global strategy will not work. The Arab world study demonstrated that while they try to club 20 Arab countries, based on characteristics they had to ultimately conduct the study only on four countries. That means even with similarities in culture and religious heritage, economic differences do arise which means the target audience is different. Because of the economic level, the education level also differs which would in turn affect the promotional strategy. While segmentation may help to some extent but for each segment there has to be a different strategy. Nestle could not be successful in introducing the coffee culture in China and had to bring in products suitable to local palate despite having a global brand name. Most firms that have adopted the strategy of 'think global, act local' have succeeded. While McDonald's maintains its main menu of burgers ad French fries, the filling in the burgers has to differ country to country depending on culture and religion. Kellogg’s had to alter its offer even within the region of Europe. In the fashion industry, while transnational segmentation is possible because Levi's could segment the Far East Asian market (shorter inside leg measurement) generally, but Japanese preference again differed. Again, the product positioning had to differ because of the appeal that jeans has in different countries. While one country considers it a fashion item another finds it a casual wear. They have to be sensitive towards the high-priced customers since the products are expensively priced. What the entire study reveals is that to a certain extent transnational segmentation is possible but not in all products or all types of industry. The target markets have to be set based on segmentation but the product positioning would differ despite segmentation. The new approach that most firms are adopting is glocalization – think global and act local – is the way forward to be successful in the international markets. The world cannot be viewed as a single market and not even a set of nations. 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